We Own Adventure

Scouting News for the DC Metro Area

Archives for October 2020

Fencing for SPIRIT

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The task seemed daunting at first. Breaking the earth for my Eagle Scout project was no easy feat. I wanted to construct the front fence of the start of a new equestrian park for a local non-profit horse equine-assisted therapy organization. Driving out to the property, parking on the side of the road, I tried to peer in to see what I was working with. I shook my head in disbelief; from the road, I could not walk even ten feet into the property. It was overgrown, trees lining the front of the property, and bugs swarming my every step. How was I supposed to build a fence where I couldn’t even see the ground? However, I chose to help the organization; helping the therapy center made me feel meaning in my work, and the knowledge that less fortunate children could benefit from it only convinced me more to take this project on.
There were many, many preconditions that I had to deal with before even beginning my fence. The grasses loomed over my knees. The thickened brush scratched at my feet. I started planning the phases like it was the procedure for a chemistry experiment. After countless hours of research and writing it to paper, I created a specific project plan that ranged from the purchase of lumber to the cleanup of the property after completion. There were times when I wanted to scrap it all up, try something else, but I pushed through and I finally set the plan in action.

On the day of the project, after all the preparation, laying out the construction flags, measuring the fence distance, and renting equipment, I thought a fence cannot be that difficult to construct right? I was wrong. Off the bat, I faced even more obstacles. Drilling holes in the ground proved to be a pain in the ass, brittle, rocky earth testing my paper plan. After all the work I put in, I was not going to be stopped by a faulty power auger. My perfect plan was put to a halt in its tracks. As I pondered the possibility of working well into the night, it dawned on me that I should implement Plan B, one that just sprung into my mind. Keeping the workers focused and not idle became a new priority as the other parts of my old plan finished. I diverted my resources to help drill holes. Through the beating sun, we finally managed to finish the project after seven hours of hard labor, in front of me was a completed 300-foot fence. I would have never thought I would transform the wilderness into an orderly, pretty fence, a trailblazer for the equestrian park.

I learned many things from my Eagle Scout project. It gave me the confidence to tackle large, complex projects and taught me perseverance. By splitting up the project into stages and planning it all out, it started to look more straightforward. It really showed how hard work pays off and that planning is a necessity with projects of this scale. But I also learned that even the most-detailed, seemingly perfect plans have plenty of opportunities to face flaws.

Girl’s Troop 987 is proud to announce their first Eagle Scout!!!

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On Thursday morning at 7am EDT, Vienna, VA resident, Katie Hunter, completed her Eagle Board of Review, the final requirement for the rank of Eagle Scout. Eagle Scout is the highest achievement attainable in the Scouts BSA program. Since its inception in 1911, only four percent of Scouts have earned this rank. While in the history of Scouting, the Eagle Scout rank has been earned by over 2.5 million youth, this candidate is particularly special, because October 1, 2020 is the first day that American girls are eligible to complete Scouting’s highest rank.

Katie Hunter is a 13-year old student at Thoreau Middle School. She joined Scouting in February 2019 as one of the founders of Girls Troop 987, sister Troop of Boys Troop 987, sponsored by Emmanuel Lutheran Church. She and four other area girls, Sarah Johnson, Annelise Sienknecht, Abby Elkowitz, and Victoria Spafford were among the first in the United States to share in Scouting’s adventure. The sister of two other Eagle Scouts, Jeffrey and Jack Hunter, Katie was ready for the challenge. She completed the arduous requirements for the Eagle Rank in 20 months, the minimum possible time, an extraordinary and rare achievement. With the successful completion of the Board of Review, an intensive interview with adult members of the Troop Committee and a District Representative, Katie is poised to be inaugurated as part of the first class of female Eagle Scouts in the country in February 2021.

The Eagle Rank has many requirements, including earning at least 21 merit badges, serving in positions of leadership in the Troop, and the completion of an extensive service project that the Scout plans, organizes, leads, and manages. The Eagle Scout must also demonstrate Scout Spirit, an ideal attitude based upon the Scout Oath and Law, service, and leadership. Katie earned 26 merit badges, served at the Senior Patrol Leader of Girls Troop 987 (the highest Scout rank in a Troop), and designed and led a service project at Bailey’s Elementary School in Falls Church, VA, where her mother teaches. With over 285 total hours of effort from the community over two days of work, she led a team of 50 Scouts and adults to beautify the campus by installing 36 planter boxes on the school grounds. Katie supervised construction and placement of 37 garden boxes for Bailey’s Elementary School in Falls Church. They’ll be used for teaching the butterfly and plant lifecycles. It totaled more than 280 hours and three days of volunteers.

Chris Hunter, Katie’s father and the Scoutmaster of Girls Troop 987, said “I am very proud of all of our girls. They have not only founded a new Troop, but they have created a template and a culture for the generations of girls that follow.” He went on to say, “Of course, I’m particularly proud of my daughter, Katie, for this singularly remarkable achievement.”

As to what’s next for Katie, she still has many years of Scouting in front of her, since Scouts are eligible to continue in the program until they turn 18. She plans to complete a trek at the Philmont Scout Ranch, Scouting BSA’s premiere High Adventure Base. Moreover, she hopes that her achievements inspire other girls to follow her example and that some of those girls will join her at Girls Troop 987 (www.troop987.us).

Troop 1650 Webelos Crosses Over in the Canopy

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Former Webelos of Washington, D.C.Pack 1650, A. Harris, officially crossed over from the Pack to the Troop and is now on his way to ranking up in Boy Scouts. Mr. Harris also earned Arrow of Light- Cub Scouts’ highest distinction. A. Harris joins his brother C. Harris in the Troop. Mr. Harris was honored in a Court of Honor ceremony celebrating the many achievements and advancements earned by the Scouts over the summer. The occasion took place at The Adventure Park in Sandy Springs, Maryland. Known for aerial obstacle courses and zip line features, the park was a perfect backdrop to recognize the Scout’s accomplishments. The day also marked the first outdoor, in- person, meeting for the Pack and Troop since March. After the Court of Honor, and an initial orientation, the Scouts spent the next 3 hours scaling new heights and overcoming challenges high in the canopy of the trees. The Scouts helped one another and pushed each other to reach the various levels of the course. A good day was had by all. Many of the Scouts even said they would like to return to the park soon!

From US to Afghanistan: Scouts Celebrate International Day of Peace

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Afghanistan. A country torn for decades by conflict, where thoughts of peace seem to drift ever out of reach. Yet, in the eyes of PARSA Afghan Girl Scout Troop 2 and Afghan Boy Scout Troop 36, hope of peace is alive. Hope is thriving in fact, as their passion for peace drives their unwavering energy to provide a wide range of social outreach and service projects in their communities.

On September 21, 2020, PARSA Afghan Scouts Troops 1 and 36, and Burke VA BSA Scout Troop 1345 met via Zoom under the banner of International Peace Day. The groups have met once before. They initially came together through the outreach of Marine Lieutenant Colonel Natalie Trogus who built bridges with the young women of Troop 1 while deployed to Kabul Afghanistan. LtCol. Trogus has a daughter in Troop 1345G.

Both troops were excited to attend the meeting, even as they navigated the challenges we’ve all faced lately…getting a stable internet connection. Their meeting covered four key topics: “What does peace mean to you and your country?”, “Can sports be a bridge to peace?”, “How has covid-19 impacted your world and scouting?”, and “How has scouting impacted what your passions, views, and leadership skills look like?”

Carter H, the Senior Patrol Leader of Troop 1345B shared a vision of peace where citizens “rely on each other and support each other through the good and the bad things.” The Afghanistan Scouts shared their vision of a peace, where everyone comes together and assists in shaping and rebuilding their country in a climate of mutual respect. The Afghanistan Scouts routinely take on service projects to provide food and other necessities to those in their community that need assistance.

Autumn D, the Senior Patrol Leader of Troop 1345G, found this opportunity incredibly important because, “I got to see a different story of Scouting, one on the other side of the world. Seeing girls in the Afghanistan troop like me was inspiring. Learning about their challenges, how they lead in a difficult time, and how much service was at the center of their scouting experience, I found it truly special.”

Burke Troop 1345 and PARSA Afghanistan Troops 1 and 36 are committed to building bridges with each other even if those bridges cross electronic pathways. Both troops are committed to spreading peace in their communities.

A New Home for A Turtle

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For my Eagle Project, I built a turtle enclosure at Rust Sanctuary, a nature sanctuary in Leesburg, VA. I’ve always loved animals especially after previous work with Rust. I had done a service project for their nature trail a couple of years back and so I asked if they help with something I could do for an Eagle project, and luckily they had a turtle who needed a new habitat.

My first step was to take a look at the old habitat and decide whether to build in the same place or find a new spot. I eventually decided to tear down the old one and build it in the same spot because of the natural light angle. I then created a virtual model of the habitat on Sketchup, a 3-D modeling app. Then I made a list of the materials we would need and bought them. Finally, I built the habitat and planted turtle-friendly plants.

Now looking back on this project, I found the most difficult aspect was trying to find volunteers as many could not help due to the pandemic. But it was all worth it in the end, to look at the structure I had built after months of hard work.